Synopsis: The Hunted

Chapter One

Nick sighed, settling down next to Charley. The girl looked up at him, defiance plain. “I don’t want it.” She shoved the cup of red fluid back towards Nick, and started to get up. “I’m fine.” Charley staggered slightly as she turned to walk out of the room.

“You’re not fine.” Nick grabbed her hand gently, and sat her back down. Charley sighed. Nick had been treating her like a piece of china for the last two months. He wouldn’t leave her in a room alone, always insisting that he or someone else stay with her, even at night. It was starting to get on her nerves. “Charley, you have to drink. It’s time to start accepting what happened. It’s not going to change just because you don’t like it.”

“He’s right...” Fiona’s soft voice said from behind the Victorian chair. “I didn’t like it either... at first. But I got used to it. You will too.” She came around to face Charley then. “Jordan and I can take you out hunting if you want to go...”

Charley blinked, and then shook her head. “I’ll... do with this.” She reached out and took the cup that Nick had been trying force her to drink from for the last hour. Her stomach was burning now. She would have to deal with it now. She sipped at liquid within, and tried very hard to think about what she was doing. When she was finished, she handed the cup back to Nick. “I’m going upstairs to rest...” Her head ached, and she knew that sleeping itself was going to be impossible.

“Alright, honey. Just let us know if you need anything at all.” Nick’s voice was soft.

Charley knew that her constant rebellion to accept the truth of her situation was wearing her adoptive family down, and she felt bad about it. They were all being incredibly patient with her, even Jane, who had effectively become her “mother”. Now, they were tired of her whining and complaining. Charley merely nodded at Nick’s offer of assistance before turning to go upstairs. She glanced up, hearing the front door close. She smelled the very distinct scent of old paper and dust that signaled the arrival of Rory Taylor, her best friend, and friend to the family. She smiled, turning back to the living room. Very few things these days made her smile the way Rory did. The tall for his age boy walked over to her, and hugged her closely. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Rory turned towards the other family members. “I was going to come sooner, guys, but Dad made me close shop.”

“No big deal.” Jordan replied. “Nick’s gig doesn’t start until ten anyway.” He grinned. “I can’t believe my little bro’s going to be performing for real!”

Charley forced a smile. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Nick and the others being out of the house without her. They didn’t want her out in public yet. She was too “new” , they had said. So they had asked Rory to come babysit. Well, that’s how Charley felt about it anyway. “What kind of music are you going to play tonight? Jazz, or your usual rock grunge?”

“Neither, actually.” Nick’s voice was full of pride. “I finally figured out how to play that one Spin Doctors song. I think I’m going to try it out on the new crowd.” This was his second gig, and it was the college crowd. Charley knew Nick was worried about disappointing them. “They do still listen to that kind of music, right?” He turned to Jordan, who had recently been spending a lot of time at the college doing entrance stuff.

“Yeah, I think so, man.” Jordan smiled, then he turned his attention to Rory. “She needs to eat again in about an hour.”

“No problem.” Rory smiled at Charley. “We can handle that, right?”

Charley growled in disgust. “Et tu, Rory?” She shook her head, and turned to go to the stairs. “I’ll be in my tower.”

“Charley...” Charley heard Nick sigh as she got to the top of the stairs. She felt only a little guilty. She heard murmmers of comfort before she closed her door. As good as her hearing was,she couldn’t hear anything through the thick wooden door.

***
Once she was away from everyone, Charley leaned against the door. She felt the familiar lump form in her throat, and she had to work really hard at not breaking into tears again. The last two months had been utter torment for her. From the time she’d woken up from the nightmarish sleep of the Change, things had only worsened for her. She hated what she was, and didn’t want any part of it. At first, she thought Luke had gotten his way with her. She could have dealt with it easier if Luke had turned her. It was something she’d counted on to happen.

When she was told the truth, Charley sank into denial. Her brother Brent was responsible for her state. She didn’t want to believe it. Brent, as far as she knew, had always protected her. He would never make her into the thing he hated most. Yet, she couldn’t deny the evidence that stared her in the face whenever she looked in the mirror, no badly how she wanted to. Her once green eyes were as blue as Brent’s had once been. That was only the start of her misery. Brent had yet to contact her since that night at the gazeebo. Charley had the strong suspicion that Nick or Jordan had something to do with that, but she was not entirely certain.

She heard the front door close downstairs, turned to face the window. Her adoptive family got into two seperate cars, and headed off, leaving just Rory’s bike outside in the large driveway. Charley glanced up at the moon, and let out a shakey sigh. She would have to go downstairs eventually. If she didn’t, Rory was bound to come up there, and she didn’t want the warlock to see her mess of a room. Charley forced a brush through her hair before opening her door.

Rory was standing in the doorframe, posed to knock. “Hey. I was just about to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie or something.”

“No thanks....” Charley left her room, quickly closing the door behind her. She felt her stomach tighten as she found herself alone in the hallway. Her room suddenly seemed more appealing. Stop that. Rory is only here to help. He’s not mad, she scolded herself mentally. Had Brent’s betrayal really had that much of an impact on her? She didn’t want that to be true. Rory had only ever been her friend, even when she had believed that Luke loved her. Yes, but Brent was your brother, and look what that got you. Her overpowering skeptic chided at her. “On second thought, maybe a movie would be a good distraction.”

“Great! I brought over Fellowship of the Ring and the first Harry Potter. Which are you in the mood for?” Rory turned so that they could walk back downstairs.

Charley sensed that he was a little nervous about being alone with her, too. Maybe he was afraid that she would turn on him. She was resolved not to do that. She shrugged. “I don’t really care. But I’d prefer watching something that didn’t have blood in it.”

Rory chuckled softly, and Charley wanted to smack him. “I was sure you were going to feel that way. That’s why I also brought Clueless.”

“Clueless it is.” Charley relaxed a little bit then. “I haven’t seen that movie for a long time.” She grinned then, thinking of Cher and Dion’s exploits in the movie. “That movie drove Mama and Daddy nuts.”

“Yeah, it drove me crazy too, for a while. My sister Shannon likes it.” Rory passed her and went into the TV room. The Strauss family didn’t use that room too often, and as a result, the seating looked as though it had never been used. Charley followed him, and waited, shifting her gaze from him to a backpack sitting on the opaque couch.

“What’s in that?” She pointed when the warlock glanced up. He shrugged without responding, and Charley was sure he wasn’t telling her something. “Rory?”

“I’m staying over a couple of nights. Alan said it would be okay.” The Strauss family had never believed in formal titles such as “mister” and “miss”. Everyone was on a first name basis with each other, except in public where they had to put on the act of being a well-adjusted family. Charley had found that to be a bit odd the first time they’d all gone out together before she was changed.

“Oh.” Charley sat on the couch then. She didn’t want to question why Rory was staying. She assumed something was going on in his family. Rory’s family had been acting increasingly strange since she’d Changed. They didn’t want Rory around her. Rory didnt’ seem to care. He came anyway. The young vampire was glad of that. She blinked, wondering when she’d started considering herself a vampire. She hadn’t said it out loud yet, but she knew it was true. Nothing anyone would say or do would ever change what happened. She had known that since she’d woken up. Believing, it on the other hand, was still surreal.

“Ready?” Rory settled on the couch next to her. He had the DVD player remote poised to hit the play button. “You better appreciate this. I sat through this movie so often, I know it word for word.”

“I bet you don’t know as well as I do.” Charley challenged then, her smile widening. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to like the idea of Rory Taylor being there in the house with her for a few days.

“Let’s just see!” Rory hit play, and then set the remote to the side. Soon, they were both engrossed in the movie, and Charley forgot for the first time in two months that she was no longer human.

***
Brent dodged another motorcyclist as he crossed the street. He had taken up residence in the storeroom of the abandoned diner. He wasn’t staying with Luke anymore. He had left several weeks ago, unable to put up with his attitude. His former coven leader was still furious at him for turning his adoptive sister over to Nick Strauss and his family. He had done it to spare Charley having to serve Luke. If he had known that he was going to be leaving Luke so soon, he would have thought better of it. What’s done is done, and you can’t take it back. It’s not as if Charley would even want to be near you now. Brent clenched an angry fist, and refrained from denting another trash can. Several had already been replaced by the city. They assumed it was vandals. They would never suspect it was an angry teen vampire.

He entered the diner, and replaced the block of wood that gave the place the look of a condemned building. He walked back to the store room, which served as his “living” quarters. The Commons were quiet tonight. Most of the rowdy college students had gone home for the summer, and anyone else was either coming for dinner, or leaving from it. Thankfully, the restaurant next door was so busy that no one noticed movement from within the darkness of the closed diner. Brent sighed, slumping into his one lounge chair. He was tired, and if he was honest with himself, he was lonely. He didn’t dare call Luke. He was furious with Brent now. It had been obvious earlier. They had run into each other while looking for food.

Luke hadn’t looked much different from two weeks ago when Brent had left. He had been just as intimidating, and cold. Harper, his younger sister, hadn’t spared a glance at Brent. That was fine with him. Brent didn’t care much for either of them. They had had a new coven member, Julie. It was obvious the girl was still new to being a vampire. She drooled at every breathing creture that passed them. Brent wasn’t that old himself, but he had more control than that. He had watched Luke coach Julie with a lot less ferocity than he had used on him. It made Brent want to throttle his sire. But he didn’t. When Luke finally realized Brent was there, he smiled. The smile was cold. “Lost, little Brent?”

“No,” Brent had spat. He didn’t want to take any crap from Luke. And least of all, he didn’t want to show Luke that he still had the power to intimidate him. “I’m hunting, just like you guys.”

“Ooh, and how’s that working out for you?” Luke sneered, giving him a cold look. His head whipped around then. “Julie, darling, don’t do that. Harper, help her out, will you?” Brent was only midly amused at Harper’s disgusted expression. She didn’t like playing babysitter to the newborn.

“Seems you didn’t waste anytime replacing me.” Brent’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Luke. Just what do you have to gain, forming a large coven?”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. That’s how well you don’t know me, Brenton.” Luke smiled a bit. “Have you seen Charlene?”

“Right, like the Strausses are letting anyone near her. They’ve got her pretty well couped up.” Brent snarled inwardly. Even Jordan, whom he had once been secretly friends with, refused to give an inch. “This is your fault, Lukas.”

“Don’t you ever call me that again!” Luke’s clouded over angrily. “That name is lame.” He sighed then, the anger evaporating. “If it’s any consolation...”

“Consolation?! You took away my life, and then made me take away my sister’s! You can never console me!” Brent stalked off then, refusing to speak to his sire anymore. Luke would never change, and Brent realized that he was going to be forever alone. The time for expecting his guidance were over. Brent would have to learn on his own.

He frowned, suddenly getting a whiff of a familiar scent. Old Spice and cucumber melon. Brent stood up and began to walk back to the front of the diner. The smell grew stronger, and he knew then that his nose was not tricking him. We haven’t heard anything from these guys in years. Why now? He began to a forboding feeling as the scent grew stronger. Suddenly, it was right under his nose, as the door to the diner rattled. “We’re closed.” Brent deepened his voice, hoping it would suffice.

A young female voice replied. “It’s only six o’clock. And besides, no one would come in.”

“Not now, Mary.” The window that framed the door shattered, and Brent backed up considrably as thehand of his cousin Anthony Gilmore reached in and unlocked the door. Brent swore under his breath, and fell back into the shadows, using the cashwrap to shield himself as best as he good. “I know you’re in here, vampire. I smelled you all the way down the street.”

Brent’s throat was already dry. Now it was worse. The stench of the hunter filled his nostrils. He forced himself to remain quiet, even when the girl, Mary,apprached the counter. He eyed her, taking in how young she looked. She didn’t look like a Gilmore at all. Finally, he ventured to speak, careful to disguise his voice. “Yeah, so you found me. Your scent isn’t exactly tantalizing either.” He saw Anthony’s eyes narrow, but young man said nothing. “Well? Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Not as such. I’m here for information to be honest. We’re looking for some family members. They were trailing two clan of your kind.”

“What makes you think I’ve seen them?” Brent’s heart ached, knowing that they woud discover the family dead. He would never be able to consider Charley a vampire, even if it was wha she was now. She was dead to him.

The girl spoke up before Anthony could. Her voice was soft, and gave off the sensation of floating. “Because. You used to be a part of the group. But now you’re alone. A lost sheep without a flock.” Brent watched her come around the cash wrap. He backed up as far as he could. Mary could have passed for Charley’s biological sister but for her silver gray eyes. Her brown hair hung rather flatly down her back, the front long bangs held out of her face by two tiny clips. Now that he could see her better out of the street light, Brent noticed that she was mall. “Where have they gone, hmm?”

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brent kept his false voice on, though he was sure that this girl could see right through him. He reminded her of a girl from a TV series he used to watch on the Science Fiction channel.

“Lies. All of it.” Mary started to advance, but she was stopped short by her guardian. “He does know something. I can see it clear as day.”

“We will find out what he knows soon. Let us go, Mary. Your mother is waiting.” Anthony took her hand, and left with her, not bothering to spare Brent another look. The boy got the distinct impression that he had not been fooled at all.

***
“I couldn’t get her to drink.” Rory sighed, looking up at Nick and his fiance, feeling like a failure. “She’s insisting she doesn’t want it.”

“She’ll die without it.” Jane replied bluntly, turning to go to the kitchen. “If I have to force it down her throat, I will.”

“Jane, don’t get so dramatic.” Nick chuckled slightly. “Charley will drink when we least expect it.” He turned back to Rory. “Did you two have a nice time?” He unhitched his guitar case strap from around his neck. He laid the instrument gently on a nearby chair. “She didn’t give you any trouble other than that, right?”

“Oh no. Charley and I had a great time. We watched Clueless, then played a couple games of Black Jack. She started complaining of a stomach pain, and that’s when I started to trying to tempt her to drink. She turned me down.” She went to her room, and I haven’t heard from her since. I checked in on her though.”

Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what else to do. Most of the time, drinking is natural upon waking up as a vampire. Newborns may not always like it at first, but they always did it automatically. If she keeps refusing, she’s going to get very sick.” He looked up as Alan and Carmen walked in. “Please tell me you have a solution....”

“Sorry, Nickie. Not even close.” Alan smiled sadly. “Charley needs to start drinking. She’s had two months to whine and complain about the Change. Now it’s time to start acting like a vampire. This is crazy.” Though his smile remained, Alan’s tone was serious.

“Is it our fault?” Fiona ventured from behind them. She was standing there, her favorite sweater draped over one arm. “I mean, we babied her so much when she woke up. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that. Maybe...” She fell quiet when Nick gave her a stern look. “It was just a thought.”

“No, this isn’t anything we did wrong. Every newborn is different. I think Charley’s Change was too dramatic and traumatizing,” Jordan began. “Being Changed is hard enough. Being forced into it, and by someone you loved and trusted, that’s even harder.” Nick watched him withhold the urge to slam his fist into something. “No, it’s not our fault that she won’t drink. It is our fault that she has to in the first place. We weren’t careful enough.”

“We took every precaution we could think of! How could we have known Brent was going to play such a dirty trick, Jordan?” Nick put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, trying to sooth him. “Our only mistake was underestimating Brent’s manipulative ability over his sister.” He felt Jane put a hand on his shoulder in turn. Nick put his free hand up and took hers lightly. “We’ll figure out a way to get her to drink. It’s our responsibility.”

“It’s too late to play the blame game anyway. it won’t change the fact that she’s changed.” Rory sighed deeply. Nick ached for him, too. He had lost his family in the aftermath of Charley’s Change. His family had been furious with him for helping the vampires. They had disowned him shortly after that. Nick had been helping him financially, since he had been kicked out of the family business. Now they were offering him a place to live. They had all wisely agreed nto to tell Charley the reason for the change. They didn’t think she’d be able to handle the extra stress. The warlock stood up. “I’m just going to go check on her.”

“I’ll be up with some blood in a few minutes. We have to keep trying.” Nick replied, turning torwards the kitchen. Nick was worried, and almost angry that Charley wouldn’t drink. She didn’t seem to understand how serious was getting. He was glad at least that Alan had figured out how to feed her while she was heavily sedated by his continuing work on her SafeGuard. They were still worried that Dustin was at large, as no one had heard from or seen him since the night of the dance. He felt Carmen behind him. “I’m a bad father.”

“No, you’re not. Charley adores you, Nickie.” Carmen reached up and kissed her adoptive son on the cheek. “You and Jane are doing great. She’s happy here, for the most part. She’s just having a rough patch right now. It will all work out.”

Nick sighed. “I hope you’re right, Mom. I really do.”

***
Charley’s dreams were mixed that night. She found herself tossing and turning. Finally at around a quarter to three in the morning she woke up, and began to pace. Her whole body hurt physically, and her stomach felt like she was going to throw it up. WEll, you wouldn’t feel like that if you would just drink. It’s not like they’re asking you to kill to eat. They go to the butcher. She shook her head, going to the bathroom. Charley splashed some cold water on her face, and took a deep, unneeded breath. She studied herself inth mirror. Charley barely recognized herself anymore. Her eyes were deep sapphire blue, and her hair was perfect, and shiny.

“You’re up late.” Jordan’s voice made her jump a mile. “Sorry. You okay?”

“Not really.” Charley sighed deeply. She felt Jordan lead her back to her room. “Jordan... can I really die from not drinking?”

“Yes.” His voice was blunt, but gentle. “Charley, I know you’re worried, but I promise you, we never kill anything that can’t be replaced. We don’t kill mother animals. And we don’t drink human blood. Personally, it’s really nasty to me.”

“I’m... I can’t. I.. I should be dead, not... this.” Charley turned to face away from Jordan, but he grabbed her wrist, turning her to face him

“No, Charley. You shouldn’t have ever had to get involved in this world at all. The Gilmore family shouldn’t have lied to you, and tried to hide it. They should have prepared you, but they didn’t. I’ll admit that it was stupid of you to trust Brent, but I do understand. I’m not mad. Not anymore. But I am worried about, little sister.” With that, Jordan wrapped her in his arms.

The girl felt sick, and scard at the same time. If Jordan, who was always the strong one of the family was that worried, it was bad. She felt tears form in her eyes. She brushed them away. She wasn’t ready to give in yet. She didn’t want to accept anything yet. She still hoped for a recovery, or a wake up call. This all had to be a nightmare. None of it could be real. Brent wouldn’t do anything to harm her.

“When are you going to wake up and realize none of this can be undone?” Jordan rubbed her back gently, though she could hear the frustration in his voice. “Vamprism is a permanent state. It can’t be undone.”

“I... I know.” Charley had been trying to make herself accept everything. It just wasn’t going to happen over night or just a couple of months. She needed more time. “I... I need more time, Jordan. I wasn’t ready.”

“Oh, and you think any of us were ready?” Jordan asked her. He pulled her away from him, and looked her in the eyes. “You can’t prepare for something like this, Char. There is no way to prepare for living the life of the undead.” He let her go, and sat down on her bed. “It’s not good for anyone, undead or otherwise, to hold things inside. I’ve been refraining from prying too much because of the situation, and how things came about, but I know... things aren’t right.”

“I... I don’t know how to talk about it. Only months ago, none of this existed. Now everything I thought were stories is true, and I’m a part of it. It’s really hard to grasp. I didn’t even have time to recover form finding that out before I was one.”

“Mm. Yes, I know what you mean. Imagine the suprise of missionary walking in on a pastor feeding on a sick child.”

“No way!” Charley’s eyes widened. She didn’t believe it. “That’s not really true, is it, Jordie?”

“Yep.” Jordan stodd up. “That’s how I ended up a part of this world, Charley. I had bad timing. I still remember that night so clearly. Your circumstances are much more traumatic and unfortunate than mine were. I can’t deny it might take a long time before you move on, but you can’t move on if you don’t even start.”

Charley sighed. She knew all of this. Rory had said it, Nick had said it, Jane and Fiona had said it. It was a case of easier said than done. “There’s... other problems.” She didn’t know how to describe the constant feeling that something was missing. It was like a hole that nothing could fill. She was sure it wasn’t blood related, but she had the strong suspcion it was something else. “I feel... empty.”

“That’s because none of us are your sire. That is an unfortunate side effect of having your sire give you up. Nick went through that. You should talk to him. Luke left him for dead before he was even a day old.” Jordan stood up, and patted her bed. “Come on. You better at least get a little sleep. You can talk to him in the morning.”

Charley glanced at the digital clock on her night stand. It was going on five in the morning. She had beenn up with Jordan for two hours already. It hadn’t felt that long. She crawled into bed. “Thanks, Jordan. You’re really cool.”

“I’ve always thought so.” He smirked a bit. “If you need to talk anymore, just send me a telegram.” He touched his saluting fingers to his temple so that she would get his meaning. Charley merely nodded.

“I will.” She watched him leave the room, closing the door behind him.

***
Brent sighed, staring at the long driveway that led up to the Strauss’ front porch. He was betting that they already knew that he was outside. Maybe they were just being polite. He doubted it. Jordan had become especially hostile ever since he’d turned Charley. It wasn’t as if Brent blamed them. He himself didn’t like that he had turned her. However, he needed to talk to Alan alon about the arrival of the new Gilmore hunters. He was betting they weren’t going to be very happy to find out that he, and Charley, were both a part of the world they sought to destroy. He was about to head up the walk when Alan’s large station wagon pulled up behind him. He turned around and looked at the driver. It was Alan himself. Thank goodness for small miracles. Brent hadn’t been sure he could handle dealing with Jordan and Nick. “Hey, Alan.”

“Brenton.” Alan got out of the car, and closed the door. “What can I do for you?” He deposited his keys in his pocket, and adjusted his laptop bag. “You know Nick will not let you near Charley.”

“I’m not here to see Charley.” Brent looked at the ground now. It killed him to know that he would never be a welcome party in his own sister’s life now. “I came bearing a warning. Relatives of ours are in the area.”

“Oh really? How do you know that?” Alan’s eyes narrowed as he sat on the hood of his car. He folded his arms. “I hope this is not a ploy on your part to try and gain control of Charley’s wellbeing. If it is, I must tell you that my family is prepared to fight whomever we have to in order to protect our own.”

“With all due respect, Alan, Charlene is my sireling. If I wanted to, I could take her away from you.” The venom in his voice made Brent feel sick. He was starting to sound like Luke. His lower lip curled. “I am not the enemy. My older cousin and his family are. They came to my home.”

“And you survived. I find that hard to believe. The Gilmores are not known to leave survivors.” Alan frowned. “Brent, is it possible you’re fabricating this story in order to see Charley?”

“Damn it, would you please listen to me?! All of us, not just me, not just Charley, all of us, are in trouble. My family was here, and one of them is a seer. Be careful!” Brent forced himself to calm down as Alan studied him thoughtfully. “And another thing. I’m not with Luke anymore. I left him. I live in seperate house.”

“I see.” Alan nodded slowly. “Well, thank you for your warning. I will pass it on inside. Now please go.” The Strauss patriarch went up the walk into his house.

***
Awaiting Alan inside was an all out screaming match between Charley and Nick. She was trying her best to get outside, and see Brent, having felt her sire’s presence instantly. She wasn’t anymore happier with Alan, when he pulled her away from the door. “Hey, he’s going to leave!”

“As well he should.”Alan replied firmly, pulling the girl away from the door. “Charley, stop!” He shoved her back into a chair without hurting her. He meant business. “He’s gone already. I sent him away.”

Nick looked up at Alan. It was only then that Charley caught the agitated tone in the patriarch’s voice. Nick’s matched it. “What now?” He laid a calming hand on Charley’s shoulder. “What the heck was he doing here anyway?”

“Not here, not now, Nickie.” Alan nodded to Charley. They didn’t want her to know anything. Charley was fine with that. She gathered she probably didn’t want to know anyway, whatever it was. She was starting to calm down now, the severe pain she had been feeling desipating slightly. “We’ll talk about it later,” Alan continued, as he headed up to his room. “Charley, have you eaten today?” He gazed at her intently, almost hopefully.

“No.” Charley looked away from him, knowing that her answer was not going to be satisfactory. “I... I just can’t.” She was surprised when,instead of continuing on his way, Alan came over to her, and hugged her tightly.

“You will, in time.” He glanced at Nick and his youngest son, her “father”, nodded. “I promise, Charley, it will get easier.”

“I wish it was already....” She thought about her talk with Jordan the night before. “I... I miss him.”

“Him? Oh you mean Brent.” Alan frowned. “Well, maybe in time, you can see him again, CHarley. But right now, you need to start working on adjusting to being a part of us. We’re the ones that are going to take care of you in the long run.” With that, Alan stood straight again, and went upstairs, presumably to his office. Sighing, Charley stood up, and stretched. Her stomach rumbled, and she felt herself growl in frustration. Her eye sight wasn’t that great, with the bright stream of sunshine peering in at them.

“Um...” She swallowed hard, disbelieving what she ws about to ask Nick. “I...I need a drink.” Nick smiled knowingly, and Charley felt a little better. After how much Nick and Jane had been doing to try and make her transition as easy as they could, seeing that her simple step to try made him feel better made her feel better.

“Come on.” He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her into the kitchen. Fiona was leaving. “Can you do something about them curtains? I think the sun’s bothering Charley.”

“Sure.” Fiona smiled at Charley then. “How are you feeling?” She didn’t give Charley a chance to answer. “You’re finally taking steps to transitioning! That’s great!”

“Yeah, I guess....” Charley knew, however, that she would never hunt. Killing animals bothered her, endangered or not. It was for that very reason she had ruled out becoming a vet when she was older. She would have never had the willpower to put another person’s pet to sleep, even if it was what was best for them.

“Give her some space, Fi.” Nick replied quickly. “She’s not one hundred percent sold yet. Just let’s let her do this her way.” He passed Charley to go into the kitchen. “Come on.” Charley went into the kitchen, and sat down. “I’m proud of you, Char. I know it’s taking a lot for you to even attempt this on your own.”

“Brent wouldn’t want me to... starve myself. At least, I don’t think he would.” She looked at the now familiar linoleum floor. It needed a good mopping. “I’m sorry, if I’ve worried all of you, Nickie...”

“Don’t worry about it, honey.” Nick set a warm cup of blood down for her. “Jordan told me about last night. We should have realized what the real issue was. You know, you can talk to me about anything you want.”

“I know... I’m... just not ready yet.” Charley sipped her cup of blood tenatively. Just pretend it’s tomato juice. It won’t be bad if you don’t think about what it really is. After a few more sips, Charley couldn’t get herself to drink the rest of it. She looked up at Nick apologetically.

“You made a start. That’s all that really matters, Charley. I’m proud of you.” He took the cup from her. “Why don’t you go see if the others want to play a game of Upwords.” When she hesitated, Nick smiled more. “Go on.”

Charley took the hint. Nick wanted to try and bring back some normalcy for her. Charley appreciated it a lot. She smiled genuinely for the first time, as she took the stairs to Jordan’s room. She stopped just outside the door, hearing voices. Fiona was talking to her sire, and urgently too.

“.....I just don’t think Charley is going to be up for a fight, Jordan. Something needs to be done.”

“We should probably talk to Alan, Fi. He’s the head of the family. If there’s going to be conflict, he needs to know about it.” Jordan’s voice was full of concern. “But I agree with you. A fight or not, Charley shouldn’t be a part of it. She’s not strong enough. We’ll need to take care of that.” There was a long pause, then, “Charley, it’s not nice to eavesdrop.”

Charley gasped, and entered the room, feeling guilty. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just... I didn’t know how to interrupt properly.” She studied Fiona and Jordan, wildly curious about the part of the conversation she had missed. “What’s going on? Why are you going to have to send me away?”

“No one’s said anything about that yet. It’s just ap assing thought, “ Jordan replied. “Upwords sounds good. I think we could all use a dose of normalcy right now.” He gave Fiona a firm look. “Come on, Fi. You can be on my team.” He put an arm around her, and they left the room, talking quietly amongst themselves. Charley didn’t like where this was going, but she knew better than to pry if they didn’t want to tell her something.

Chapter Two

“I’m telling you, that boy was lying. He knows something he ain’t sharing with us.” Mary looked up at her father stubbornly. “Why won’t you listen to me? I know what I saw.”

“I’ m sure, honey.” Anthony stared out at the dark streets. They were staying at a rather nice hotel,using some funds from their last few hunting jobs. Mary watched as he turned to face her. “We can’t just go killing someone just because they’re a vampire. We’ve never been like my sister Carolyne and her husband. He frowned then. “I don’t understand it though. They were supposed to meet us at the airport.”

“Maybe they forgot.” Paige, Mary’s older sister stood up from the desk where she had been checking her email. “Brent never replied to my emails either, though, so that’s weird. Brent has never been this late with a reply. I haven’t heard from him in two monChapter One

Nick sighed, settling down next to Charley. The girl looked up at him, defiance plain. “I don’t want it.” She shoved the cup of red fluid back towards Nick, and started to get up. “I’m fine.” Charley staggered slightly as she turned to walk out of the room.

“You’re not fine.” Nick grabbed her hand gently, and sat her back down. Charley sighed. Nick had been treating her like a piece of china for the last two months. He wouldn’t leave her in a room alone, always insisting that he or someone else stay with her, even at night. It was starting to get on her nerves. “Charley, you have to drink. It’s time to start accepting what happened. It’s not going to change just because you don’t like it.”

“He’s right...” Fiona’s soft voice said from behind the Victorian chair. “I didn’t like it either... at first. But I got used to it. You will too.” She came around to face Charley then. “Jordan and I can take you out hunting if you want to go...”

Charley blinked, and then shook her head. “I’ll... do with this.” She reached out and took the cup that Nick had been trying force her to drink from for the last hour. Her stomach was burning now. She would have to deal with it now. She sipped at liquid within, and tried very hard to think about what she was doing. When she was finished, she handed the cup back to Nick. “I’m going upstairs to rest...” Her head ached, and she knew that sleeping itself was going to be impossible.

“Alright, honey. Just let us know if you need anything at all.” Nick’s voice was soft.

Charley knew that her constant rebellion to accept the truth of her situation was wearing her adoptive family down, and she felt bad about it. They were all being incredibly patient with her, even Jane, who had effectively become her “mother”. Now, they were tired of her whining and complaining. Charley merely nodded at Nick’s offer of assistance before turning to go upstairs. She glanced up, hearing the front door close. She smelled the very distinct scent of old paper and dust that signaled the arrival of Rory Taylor, her best friend, and friend to the family. She smiled, turning back to the living room. Very few things these days made her smile the way Rory did. The tall for his age boy walked over to her, and hugged her closely. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Rory turned towards the other family members. “I was going to come sooner, guys, but Dad made me close shop.”

“No big deal.” Jordan replied. “Nick’s gig doesn’t start until ten anyway.” He grinned. “I can’t believe my little bro’s going to be performing for real!”

Charley forced a smile. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Nick and the others being out of the house without her. They didn’t want her out in public yet. She was too “new” , they had said. So they had asked Rory to come babysit. Well, that’s how Charley felt about it anyway. “What kind of music are you going to play tonight? Jazz, or your usual rock grunge?”

“Neither, actually.” Nick’s voice was full of pride. “I finally figured out how to play that one Spin Doctors song. I think I’m going to try it out on the new crowd.” This was his second gig, and it was the college crowd. Charley knew Nick was worried about disappointing them. “They do still listen to that kind of music, right?” He turned to Jordan, who had recently been spending a lot of time at the college doing entrance stuff.

“Yeah, I think so, man.” Jordan smiled, then he turned his attention to Rory. “She needs to eat again in about an hour.”

“No problem.” Rory smiled at Charley. “We can handle that, right?”

Charley growled in disgust. “Et tu, Rory?” She shook her head, and turned to go to the stairs. “I’ll be in my tower.”

“Charley...” Charley heard Nick sigh as she got to the top of the stairs. She felt only a little guilty. She heard murmmers of comfort before she closed her door. As good as her hearing was,she couldn’t hear anything through the thick wooden door.

***
Once she was away from everyone, Charley leaned against the door. She felt the familiar lump form in her throat, and she had to work really hard at not breaking into tears again. The last two months had been utter torment for her. From the time she’d woken up from the nightmarish sleep of the Change, things had only worsened for her. She hated what she was, and didn’t want any part of it. At first, she thought Luke had gotten his way with her. She could have dealt with it easier if Luke had turned her. It was something she’d counted on to happen.

When she was told the truth, Charley sank into denial. Her brother Brent was responsible for her state. She didn’t want to believe it. Brent, as far as she knew, had always protected her. He would never make her into the thing he hated most. Yet, she couldn’t deny the evidence that stared her in the face whenever she looked in the mirror, no badly how she wanted to. Her once green eyes were as blue as Brent’s had once been. That was only the start of her misery. Brent had yet to contact her since that night at the gazeebo. Charley had the strong suspicion that Nick or Jordan had something to do with that, but she was not entirely certain.

She heard the front door close downstairs, turned to face the window. Her adoptive family got into two seperate cars, and headed off, leaving just Rory’s bike outside in the large driveway. Charley glanced up at the moon, and let out a shakey sigh. She would have to go downstairs eventually. If she didn’t, Rory was bound to come up there, and she didn’t want the warlock to see her mess of a room. Charley forced a brush through her hair before opening her door.

Rory was standing in the doorframe, posed to knock. “Hey. I was just about to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie or something.”

“No thanks....” Charley left her room, quickly closing the door behind her. She felt her stomach tighten as she found herself alone in the hallway. Her room suddenly seemed more appealing. Stop that. Rory is only here to help. He’s not mad, she scolded herself mentally. Had Brent’s betrayal really had that much of an impact on her? She didn’t want that to be true. Rory had only ever been her friend, even when she had believed that Luke loved her. Yes, but Brent was your brother, and look what that got you. Her overpowering skeptic chided at her. “On second thought, maybe a movie would be a good distraction.”

“Great! I brought over Fellowship of the Ring and the first Harry Potter. Which are you in the mood for?” Rory turned so that they could walk back downstairs.

Charley sensed that he was a little nervous about being alone with her, too. Maybe he was afraid that she would turn on him. She was resolved not to do that. She shrugged. “I don’t really care. But I’d prefer watching something that didn’t have blood in it.”

Rory chuckled softly, and Charley wanted to smack him. “I was sure you were going to feel that way. That’s why I also brought Clueless.”

“Clueless it is.” Charley relaxed a little bit then. “I haven’t seen that movie for a long time.” She grinned then, thinking of Cher and Dion’s exploits in the movie. “That movie drove Mama and Daddy nuts.”

“Yeah, it drove me crazy too, for a while. My sister Shannon likes it.” Rory passed her and went into the TV room. The Strauss family didn’t use that room too often, and as a result, the seating looked as though it had never been used. Charley followed him, and waited, shifting her gaze from him to a backpack sitting on the opaque couch.

“What’s in that?” She pointed when the warlock glanced up. He shrugged without responding, and Charley was sure he wasn’t telling her something. “Rory?”

“I’m staying over a couple of nights. Alan said it would be okay.” The Strauss family had never believed in formal titles such as “mister” and “miss”. Everyone was on a first name basis with each other, except in public where they had to put on the act of being a well-adjusted family. Charley had found that to be a bit odd the first time they’d all gone out together before she was changed.

“Oh.” Charley sat on the couch then. She didn’t want to question why Rory was staying. She assumed something was going on in his family. Rory’s family had been acting increasingly strange since she’d Changed. They didn’t want Rory around her. Rory didnt’ seem to care. He came anyway. The young vampire was glad of that. She blinked, wondering when she’d started considering herself a vampire. She hadn’t said it out loud yet, but she knew it was true. Nothing anyone would say or do would ever change what happened. She had known that since she’d woken up. Believing, it on the other hand, was still surreal.

“Ready?” Rory settled on the couch next to her. He had the DVD player remote poised to hit the play button. “You better appreciate this. I sat through this movie so often, I know it word for word.”

“I bet you don’t know as well as I do.” Charley challenged then, her smile widening. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to like the idea of Rory Taylor being there in the house with her for a few days.

“Let’s just see!” Rory hit play, and then set the remote to the side. Soon, they were both engrossed in the movie, and Charley forgot for the first time in two months that she was no longer human.

***
Brent dodged another motorcyclist as he crossed the street. He had taken up residence in the storeroom of the abandoned diner. He wasn’t staying with Luke anymore. He had left several weeks ago, unable to put up with his attitude. His former coven leader was still furious at him for turning his adoptive sister over to Nick Strauss and his family. He had done it to spare Charley having to serve Luke. If he had known that he was going to be leaving Luke so soon, he would have thought better of it. What’s done is done, and you can’t take it back. It’s not as if Charley would even want to be near you now. Brent clenched an angry fist, and refrained from denting another trash can. Several had already been replaced by the city. They assumed it was vandals. They would never suspect it was an angry teen vampire.

He entered the diner, and replaced the block of wood that gave the place the look of a condemned building. He walked back to the store room, which served as his “living” quarters. The Commons were quiet tonight. Most of the rowdy college students had gone home for the summer, and anyone else was either coming for dinner, or leaving from it. Thankfully, the restaurant next door was so busy that no one noticed movement from within the darkness of the closed diner. Brent sighed, slumping into his one lounge chair. He was tired, and if he was honest with himself, he was lonely. He didn’t dare call Luke. He was furious with Brent now. It had been obvious earlier. They had run into each other while looking for food.

Luke hadn’t looked much different from two weeks ago when Brent had left. He had been just as intimidating, and cold. Harper, his younger sister, hadn’t spared a glance at Brent. That was fine with him. Brent didn’t care much for either of them. They had had a new coven member, Julie. It was obvious the girl was still new to being a vampire. She drooled at every breathing creture that passed them. Brent wasn’t that old himself, but he had more control than that. He had watched Luke coach Julie with a lot less ferocity than he had used on him. It made Brent want to throttle his sire. But he didn’t. When Luke finally realized Brent was there, he smiled. The smile was cold. “Lost, little Brent?”

“No,” Brent had spat. He didn’t want to take any crap from Luke. And least of all, he didn’t want to show Luke that he still had the power to intimidate him. “I’m hunting, just like you guys.”

“Ooh, and how’s that working out for you?” Luke sneered, giving him a cold look. His head whipped around then. “Julie, darling, don’t do that. Harper, help her out, will you?” Brent was only midly amused at Harper’s disgusted expression. She didn’t like playing babysitter to the newborn.

“Seems you didn’t waste anytime replacing me.” Brent’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Luke. Just what do you have to gain, forming a large coven?”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. That’s how well you don’t know me, Brenton.” Luke smiled a bit. “Have you seen Charlene?”

“Right, like the Strausses are letting anyone near her. They’ve got her pretty well couped up.” Brent snarled inwardly. Even Jordan, whom he had once been secretly friends with, refused to give an inch. “This is your fault, Lukas.”

“Don’t you ever call me that again!” Luke’s clouded over angrily. “That name is lame.” He sighed then, the anger evaporating. “If it’s any consolation...”

“Consolation?! You took away my life, and then made me take away my sister’s! You can never console me!” Brent stalked off then, refusing to speak to his sire anymore. Luke would never change, and Brent realized that he was going to be forever alone. The time for expecting his guidance were over. Brent would have to learn on his own.

He frowned, suddenly getting a whiff of a familiar scent. Old Spice and cucumber melon. Brent stood up and began to walk back to the front of the diner. The smell grew stronger, and he knew then that his nose was not tricking him. We haven’t heard anything from these guys in years. Why now? He began to a forboding feeling as the scent grew stronger. Suddenly, it was right under his nose, as the door to the diner rattled. “We’re closed.” Brent deepened his voice, hoping it would suffice.

A young female voice replied. “It’s only six o’clock. And besides, no one would come in.”

“Not now, Mary.” The window that framed the door shattered, and Brent backed up considrably as thehand of his cousin Anthony Gilmore reached in and unlocked the door. Brent swore under his breath, and fell back into the shadows, using the cashwrap to shield himself as best as he good. “I know you’re in here, vampire. I smelled you all the way down the street.”

Brent’s throat was already dry. Now it was worse. The stench of the hunter filled his nostrils. He forced himself to remain quiet, even when the girl, Mary,apprached the counter. He eyed her, taking in how young she looked. She didn’t look like a Gilmore at all. Finally, he ventured to speak, careful to disguise his voice. “Yeah, so you found me. Your scent isn’t exactly tantalizing either.” He saw Anthony’s eyes narrow, but young man said nothing. “Well? Aren’t you going to kill me?”

“Not as such. I’m here for information to be honest. We’re looking for some family members. They were trailing two clan of your kind.”

“What makes you think I’ve seen them?” Brent’s heart ached, knowing that they woud discover the family dead. He would never be able to consider Charley a vampire, even if it was wha she was now. She was dead to him.

The girl spoke up before Anthony could. Her voice was soft, and gave off the sensation of floating. “Because. You used to be a part of the group. But now you’re alone. A lost sheep without a flock.” Brent watched her come around the cash wrap. He backed up as far as he could. Mary could have passed for Charley’s biological sister but for her silver gray eyes. Her brown hair hung rather flatly down her back, the front long bangs held out of her face by two tiny clips. Now that he could see her better out of the street light, Brent noticed that she was mall. “Where have they gone, hmm?”

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brent kept his false voice on, though he was sure that this girl could see right through him. He reminded her of a girl from a TV series he used to watch on the Science Fiction channel.

“Lies. All of it.” Mary started to advance, but she was stopped short by her guardian. “He does know something. I can see it clear as day.”

“We will find out what he knows soon. Let us go, Mary. Your mother is waiting.” Anthony took her hand, and left with her, not bothering to spare Brent another look. The boy got the distinct impression that he had not been fooled at all.

***
“I couldn’t get her to drink.” Rory sighed, looking up at Nick and his fiance, feeling like a failure. “She’s insisting she doesn’t want it.”

“She’ll die without it.” Jane replied bluntly, turning to go to the kitchen. “If I have to force it down her throat, I will.”

“Jane, don’t get so dramatic.” Nick chuckled slightly. “Charley will drink when we least expect it.” He turned back to Rory. “Did you two have a nice time?” He unhitched his guitar case strap from around his neck. He laid the instrument gently on a nearby chair. “She didn’t give you any trouble other than that, right?”

“Oh no. Charley and I had a great time. We watched Clueless, then played a couple games of Black Jack. She started complaining of a stomach pain, and that’s when I started to trying to tempt her to drink. She turned me down.” She went to her room, and I haven’t heard from her since. I checked in on her though.”

Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what else to do. Most of the time, drinking is natural upon waking up as a vampire. Newborns may not always like it at first, but they always did it automatically. If she keeps refusing, she’s going to get very sick.” He looked up as Alan and Carmen walked in. “Please tell me you have a solution....”

“Sorry, Nickie. Not even close.” Alan smiled sadly. “Charley needs to start drinking. She’s had two months to whine and complain about the Change. Now it’s time to start acting like a vampire. This is crazy.” Though his smile remained, Alan’s tone was serious.

“Is it our fault?” Fiona ventured from behind them. She was standing there, her favorite sweater draped over one arm. “I mean, we babied her so much when she woke up. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that. Maybe...” She fell quiet when Nick gave her a stern look. “It was just a thought.”

“No, this isn’t anything we did wrong. Every newborn is different. I think Charley’s Change was too dramatic and traumatizing,” Jordan began. “Being Changed is hard enough. Being forced into it, and by someone you loved and trusted, that’s even harder.” Nick watched him withhold the urge to slam his fist into something. “No, it’s not our fault that she won’t drink. It is our fault that she has to in the first place. We weren’t careful enough.”

“We took every precaution we could think of! How could we have known Brent was going to play such a dirty trick, Jordan?” Nick put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, trying to sooth him. “Our only mistake was underestimating Brent’s manipulative ability over his sister.” He felt Jane put a hand on his shoulder in turn. Nick put his free hand up and took hers lightly. “We’ll figure out a way to get her to drink. It’s our responsibility.”

“It’s too late to play the blame game anyway. it won’t change the fact that she’s changed.” Rory sighed deeply. Nick ached for him, too. He had lost his family in the aftermath of Charley’s Change. His family had been furious with him for helping the vampires. They had disowned him shortly after that. Nick had been helping him financially, since he had been kicked out of the family business. Now they were offering him a place to live. They had all wisely agreed nto to tell Charley the reason for the change. They didn’t think she’d be able to handle the extra stress. The warlock stood up. “I’m just going to go check on her.”

“I’ll be up with some blood in a few minutes. We have to keep trying.” Nick replied, turning torwards the kitchen. Nick was worried, and almost angry that Charley wouldn’t drink. She didn’t seem to understand how serious was getting. He was glad at least that Alan had figured out how to feed her while she was heavily sedated by his continuing work on her SafeGuard. They were still worried that Dustin was at large, as no one had heard from or seen him since the night of the dance. He felt Carmen behind him. “I’m a bad father.”

“No, you’re not. Charley adores you, Nickie.” Carmen reached up and kissed her adoptive son on the cheek. “You and Jane are doing great. She’s happy here, for the most part. She’s just having a rough patch right now. It will all work out.”

Nick sighed. “I hope you’re right, Mom. I really do.”

***
Charley’s dreams were mixed that night. She found herself tossing and turning. Finally at around a quarter to three in the morning she woke up, and began to pace. Her whole body hurt physically, and her stomach felt like she was going to throw it up. WEll, you wouldn’t feel like that if you would just drink. It’s not like they’re asking you to kill to eat. They go to the butcher. She shook her head, going to the bathroom. Charley splashed some cold water on her face, and took a deep, unneeded breath. She studied herself inth mirror. Charley barely recognized herself anymore. Her eyes were deep sapphire blue, and her hair was perfect, and shiny.

“You’re up late.” Jordan’s voice made her jump a mile. “Sorry. You okay?”

“Not really.” Charley sighed deeply. She felt Jordan lead her back to her room. “Jordan... can I really die from not drinking?”

“Yes.” His voice was blunt, but gentle. “Charley, I know you’re worried, but I promise you, we never kill anything that can’t be replaced. We don’t kill mother animals. And we don’t drink human blood. Personally, it’s really nasty to me.”

“I’m... I can’t. I.. I should be dead, not... this.” Charley turned to face away from Jordan, but he grabbed her wrist, turning her to face him

“No, Charley. You shouldn’t have ever had to get involved in this world at all. The Gilmore family shouldn’t have lied to you, and tried to hide it. They should have prepared you, but they didn’t. I’ll admit that it was stupid of you to trust Brent, but I do understand. I’m not mad. Not anymore. But I am worried about, little sister.” With that, Jordan wrapped her in his arms.

The girl felt sick, and scard at the same time. If Jordan, who was always the strong one of the family was that worried, it was bad. She felt tears form in her eyes. She brushed them away. She wasn’t ready to give in yet. She didn’t want to accept anything yet. She still hoped for a recovery, or a wake up call. This all had to be a nightmare. None of it could be real. Brent wouldn’t do anything to harm her.

“When are you going to wake up and realize none of this can be undone?” Jordan rubbed her back gently, though she could hear the frustration in his voice. “Vamprism is a permanent state. It can’t be undone.”

“I... I know.” Charley had been trying to make herself accept everything. It just wasn’t going to happen over night or just a couple of months. She needed more time. “I... I need more time, Jordan. I wasn’t ready.”

“Oh, and you think any of us were ready?” Jordan asked her. He pulled her away from him, and looked her in the eyes. “You can’t prepare for something like this, Char. There is no way to prepare for living the life of the undead.” He let her go, and sat down on her bed. “It’s not good for anyone, undead or otherwise, to hold things inside. I’ve been refraining from prying too much because of the situation, and how things came about, but I know... things aren’t right.”

“I... I don’t know how to talk about it. Only months ago, none of this existed. Now everything I thought were stories is true, and I’m a part of it. It’s really hard to grasp. I didn’t even have time to recover form finding that out before I was one.”

“Mm. Yes, I know what you mean. Imagine the suprise of missionary walking in on a pastor feeding on a sick child.”

“No way!” Charley’s eyes widened. She didn’t believe it. “That’s not really true, is it, Jordie?”

“Yep.” Jordan stodd up. “That’s how I ended up a part of this world, Charley. I had bad timing. I still remember that night so clearly. Your circumstances are much more traumatic and unfortunate than mine were. I can’t deny it might take a long time before you move on, but you can’t move on if you don’t even start.”

Charley sighed. She knew all of this. Rory had said it, Nick had said it, Jane and Fiona had said it. It was a case of easier said than done. “There’s... other problems.” She didn’t know how to describe the constant feeling that something was missing. It was like a hole that nothing could fill. She was sure it wasn’t blood related, but she had the strong suspcion it was something else. “I feel... empty.”

“That’s because none of us are your sire. That is an unfortunate side effect of having your sire give you up. Nick went through that. You should talk to him. Luke left him for dead before he was even a day old.” Jordan stood up, and patted her bed. “Come on. You better at least get a little sleep. You can talk to him in the morning.”

Charley glanced at the digital clock on her night stand. It was going on five in the morning. She had beenn up with Jordan for two hours already. It hadn’t felt that long. She crawled into bed. “Thanks, Jordan. You’re really cool.”

“I’ve always thought so.” He smirked a bit. “If you need to talk anymore, just send me a telegram.” He touched his saluting fingers to his temple so that she would get his meaning. Charley merely nodded.

“I will.” She watched him leave the room, closing the door behind him.

***
Brent sighed, staring at the long driveway that led up to the Strauss’ front porch. He was betting that they already knew that he was outside. Maybe they were just being polite. He doubted it. Jordan had become especially hostile ever since he’d turned Charley. It wasn’t as if Brent blamed them. He himself didn’t like that he had turned her. However, he needed to talk to Alan alon about the arrival of the new Gilmore hunters. He was betting they weren’t going to be very happy to find out that he, and Charley, were both a part of the world they sought to destroy. He was about to head up the walk when Alan’s large station wagon pulled up behind him. He turned around and looked at the driver. It was Alan himself. Thank goodness for small miracles. Brent hadn’t been sure he could handle dealing with Jordan and Nick. “Hey, Alan.”

“Brenton.” Alan got out of the car, and closed the door. “What can I do for you?” He deposited his keys in his pocket, and adjusted his laptop bag. “You know Nick will not let you near Charley.”

“I’m not here to see Charley.” Brent looked at the ground now. It killed him to know that he would never be a welcome party in his own sister’s life now. “I came bearing a warning. Relatives of ours are in the area.”

“Oh really? How do you know that?” Alan’s eyes narrowed as he sat on the hood of his car. He folded his arms. “I hope this is not a ploy on your part to try and gain control of Charley’s wellbeing. If it is, I must tell you that my family is prepared to fight whomever we have to in order to protect our own.”

“With all due respect, Alan, Charlene is my sireling. If I wanted to, I could take her away from you.” The venom in his voice made Brent feel sick. He was starting to sound like Luke. His lower lip curled. “I am not the enemy. My older cousin and his family are. They came to my home.”

“And you survived. I find that hard to believe. The Gilmores are not known to leave survivors.” Alan frowned. “Brent, is it possible you’re fabricating this story in order to see Charley?”

“Damn it, would you please listen to me?! All of us, not just me, not just Charley, all of us, are in trouble. My family was here, and one of them is a seer. Be careful!” Brent forced himself to calm down as Alan studied him thoughtfully. “And another thing. I’m not with Luke anymore. I left him. I live in seperate house.”

“I see.” Alan nodded slowly. “Well, thank you for your warning. I will pass it on inside. Now please go.” The Strauss patriarch went up the walk into his house.

***
Awaiting Alan inside was an all out screaming match between Charley and Nick. She was trying her best to get outside, and see Brent, having felt her sire’s presence instantly. She wasn’t anymore happier with Alan, when he pulled her away from the door. “Hey, he’s going to leave!”

“As well he should.”Alan replied firmly, pulling the girl away from the door. “Charley, stop!”